Casimir-Polder Interaction at Finite Temperature: Concepts and Challenges

Explore the fascinating world of Casimir-Polder interactions at finite temperature in this 39-minute lecture from the Workshop on "Blackbody Radiation Induced Effects and Phenomena" at the Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics. Delve into the intricacies of atomic and molecular systems interacting with electromagnetic fields through polarisabilities, and discover how this leads to van der Waals interactions between atoms and Casimir-Polder interactions between atoms and surfaces. Examine the temperature-dependent components of these interactions, including the "thermal anomaly" phenomenon. Learn about the application of these concepts to mesoscopic objects like nanoparticles and their relevance to atom-surface forces, momentum diffusion, and spatial decoherence. Gain insights into the essential concepts and technical discussions within the Casimir community, with a focus on incorporating material absorption into quantum field theory descriptions. The lecture covers a comprehensive syllabus, including historical context, field overview, virtual dipoles, temperature dependence, resonance shifts, complex frequencies, blackbody spectrum, formal anomalies, and motivations from Einstein's work on momentum diffusion.